Ottawa vs Western

[skg00]

Hi guys, so I've got an offer from ottawa and western, and need to provisionally accept one of them soon but I'm sort of stuck between them. I'm interested in health law as of now and I know that Western largely focuses on corporate law. I also know there's a "special JD option for health law" at ottawa as well and I feel like this would be better suited for my interests. However, Ottawa is very far away (I live in the GTA) and would much rather go to western for its location and campus. Just wondering if anyone has any advice? Are most people at Western interested in corporate law? 

Edited March 14, 2022 by skg00

[LMP]

Seems like I'm talking a lot about Ottawa tonight. I've expanded on this more in my other posts but I'll give you the bullet points. 

- A specialization in Health Law or whatever they call it is not a significant advantage. It doesn't really mean anything. Don't make decisions based on this.

- Western has in recent years been trying to leverage Ivey to brand itself as more of a business school. In practice I don't think this is that important. They will offer a fairly similar set of courses to other schools and you will find plenty of people not interested in corporate law. Note that I don't go to Western and open to correction. 

 

[TheGoodWife]

Ottawa offers the largest selection of health law courses in Canada. I did my undergrad at Western and despite loving the campus and location, did not apply to Western for law because they have very few courses in that field. If you are most interested in health law, I think you should attend a school that can offer you those courses.

If it's a mild interest and you would be okay focusing on other areas of the law, Western is a beautiful campus with exceptional facilities. I didn't realize how spoiled I was until I went to visit other campuses and Ottawa pales in comparison to Western on that front. But Ottawa offers so many courses that align with my passions (specifically Health Law) that I will likely be attending there. 

[dimsum1]

7 minutes ago, TheGoodWife said:

If it's a mild interest and you would be okay focusing on other areas of the law, Western is a beautiful campus with exceptional facilities. I didn't realize how spoiled I was until I went to visit other campuses and Ottawa pales in comparison to Western on that front. But Ottawa offers so many courses that align with my passions (specifically Health Law) that I will likely be attending there. 

I live within walking distance of Ottawa (I walk by it to go to work) and was also a UWO grad years ago - old enough that "Western University" still feels weird to see or say.  I agree that UWO campus is amazing and Ottawa's campus is meh at best.  

[TheGoodWife]

3 hours ago, dimsum1 said:

"Western University" still feels weird

Same for me 😊 ('12)

[dimsum1]

2 hours ago, TheGoodWife said:

Same for me 😊 ('12)

Um...

 

CAM '04  🤣

[BananaSlug]

22 hours ago, skg00 said:

Hi guys, so I've got an offer from ottawa and western, and need to provisionally accept one of them soon but I'm sort of stuck between them. I'm interested in health law as of now and I know that Western largely focuses on corporate law. I also know there's a "special JD option for health law" at ottawa as well and I feel like this would be better suited for my interests. However, Ottawa is very far away (I live in the GTA) and would much rather go to western for its location and campus. Just wondering if anyone has any advice? Are most people at Western interested in corporate law? 

Congrats on your acceptances. I study at uOttawa and am also interested in health law. Based on what you have said here, I think you should probably choose Western for its location. The comfort of being near your home and your support system is important. Also, if you plan to work in the GTA after graduation, going to Western could potentially make it easier to network and pursue opportunities in/around Toronto while you're in school.

Western still offers a few health law courses it seems, so it's not like you wouldn't be able to explore your interest at all. There's also a possibility that your interests will change during law school as you are exposed to different types of law, so if Western checks all the other boxes you want it's likely the best choice for you. 

[Lawllapalooza]

23 hours ago, skg00 said:

 Are most people at Western interested in corporate law? 

Western student here.

Many are, but many are not. I know multiple students who haven't taken a corporate course besides the one mandatory one. Along with offering the 'health law' course, there are other ways to learn/get involved in this area, including as a research assistant, through an independent research course where you choose your own topic, by joining the Health Law Association, and/or competing in moots on health law and related topics (I know there's a big medical malpractice moot).

Suffice it to say that Western isn't exactly known for health law (is any school? I don't really know about uOttawa's reputation in this area), but the offerings are there. Furthermore, you might be surprised what other courses interest you. To echo the above, if you have other factors that are leading you toward Western, I wouldn't let the corporate reputation veer you away. 

Edited March 15, 2022 by Lawllapalooza